To Think of You
by Demented Insane Spirit
Summary: "It was hard to say goodbye, you know?" Kaiba looked at her mildly. "Whoever said that it was goodbye?" he replied. "After all, goodbyes are forever, aren't they?" Anzu smiled at the simplicity. "I guess you're right," she answered. Azureshipping. One shot.


DIS: This is what happens when you stop working because of a broken ankle - you start writing a ton of fanfiction.

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_Title: To Think of You_

_Rating: K and Up for brief language_

_Genre: General/Romance_

_Summary: "It was hard to say goodbye, you know?" Kaiba looked at her mildly. "Whoever said that it was goodbye?" he replied. "After all, goodbyes are forever, aren't they?" Anzu smiled at the simplicity. "I guess you're right," she answered. Azureshipping. One shot._

_Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!_

_Notes/Warnings: azureshipping; one shot_

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_To Think of You_

The tall buildings loomed up, the windows glittering with the setting sun and looking intimidating, showing the strength and wealth of New York City. There was something impossibly beautiful yet frightening about the many buildings and people in the American city. Traffic was impossibly congested and there was a rush of activity on the sidewalks. It seemed as if all the humans in the world were compacted into this small space, where they darted in and out of shops, calling out for taxis, running to and fro at a quick, occupied pace. There seemed to be no time for leisure, no time for a pause in conversation; those that did had to quickly step to the side to avoid the other pedestrians. Anzu Mazaki contemplated all of this from a twelfth floor window building, leaning her hip against it with her arms crossed. When she had first arrived, New York had been a culture shock, coming from Domino City, a smaller Japanese city. It didn't have nearly the amount of grandeur that New York did. Now, however, she had been in New York for several years and had been accepted into several different ballets. Her life now seemed surreal.

"Miss Mazaki?" an American man called out to her. Anzu turned to see Kevin Rogers, the ballet director, looking to her expectantly. He was a fit man for his age and had blonde hair swept back from his square-shaped face. "We're about to wrap up today's session. Everyone else is in the studio."

"Oh, alright, thanks. I'll be there in a moment." She waited until he had walked away and then sighed, following him. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy her career. It was everything that she imagined and she was certainly good at it, but she didn't quite enjoy it the way she thought she would. While dancing was her passion, there were so many politics involved when working with big-name productions. The money was good and she enjoyed working with the other skilled dancers, but there were times when she longed for a small production company, to go back to dancing just for fun. Now it often felt as though the aesthetic beauty of dancing had been lost and all her companions were concerned about was the money. Unfortunately, she realized, money tended to be a big aspect for almost everything.

After the wrap-up, Anzu left as soon as possible, not bothering to linger with her colleagues. She pulled a light, oversized sweater over her leotard in the elevator, holding her gym back over her shoulder. She was as friendly as ever, but she had stopped trying to get closer to the other dancers after she realized how many of the older ones were hostile to her, as she was a relatively new dancer in the community and she tended to land many of the main parts. This was due partially because of her youth, but also because she was as skilled as they were. Anzu had never shied away from calling people out, but they had never directly done or said anything, but their cool looks were enough for her to gather as much.

_I miss Domino,_ she thought, thinking of her best friends with a smile. She still kept in touch with all of them, although because Yuugi and Jounouchi were occupied with their own careers, she didn't get to talk to them as often. They had visited once when there was a Duel Monsters competition and the three of them had gone out for karaoke, dinner, and drinks, and then had watched movies until the morning at her apartment, screaming with drunken laughter, until they passed out on the floor together. It had both given her intense relief to her life in New York and had also broken her heart a little, knowing that it was reminiscent of the past and was a rarity that she couldn't enjoy every weekend like they did when they were in high school.

Sighing again, Anzu joined the masses that were walking and a few men sent her interested, curious looks given her outfit, but she ignored or didn't notice them. She took her usual path through Central Park, but rather than go straight home, she took a detour, meandering through the park until she came upon Bow Bridge. There were a few others crossing the bridge or pausing at it, likely tourists. Anzu dropped her gym bag in front of her and dug in it to change into tennis shoes, tossing her flats into the bag and zipping it up. She straightened and looked around her with a wistful expression. The trees were beginning to turn colours, the first sign of autumn. A corner of her mouth tilted up and she leaned against the bridge, smiling to herself. _I should go back to Japan this spring so I can see the cherry blossoms bloom,_ she thought. _The maple trees here are beautiful, but...I don't think they compare to the cherry blossoms..._

The sun was slow in its setting and Anzu stood watching it, feeling a sense of calm in the park. She closed her eyes, her forearms resting against the stone of the bridge. The temperature was still mild and not cold enough to bother her quite yet. After a moment, she opened her eyes and decided that she should hurry back home before it got dark. She had heard enough horror stories of muggings in Central Park to know that she didn't want to be caught here at night. Picking up her gym bag, she made to walk and the weight of her gym bag unsteadied her. As she made to correct herself, someone rudely shoved past her and knocked her to the ground. "Hey!" she yelled after the tall man. "What the hell, aren't you even going to say sorry, jerk?"

Abruptly, the man stopped and turned around as she struggled to her feet, glaring. She froze in surprise as she recognized the man. Seto Kaiba coolly appraised her, eyeing her up and down before snorting softly, saying, "And here I thought I wouldn't have to deal with you after you ran out of Domino."

"I never ran out of Domino," she indignantly replied, glowering at him.

The two of them stared each other down for a moment before Kaiba glanced to the side, noticing the sunset, asking, "Are you going this way?" Her face contorted in confusion. Impatiently, he gestured towards the other side of Central Park. "Over there, Mazaki, or are you too stupid to comprehend Japanese anymore? Should I speak in English for you, instead?"

Frowning, she said, "Thanks, but I understand both languages equally. And yes, I am."

"You might as well walk with me so you don't get mugged. Just try not to be obnoxious." Anzu made a face behind his back as he turned around. "Very mature," he added in a dry tone.

"No idea what you're talking about," she said lightly as she fell into step beside him.

Neither of them said anything as they walked. It had seemed ages since Anzu had last seen Kaiba. In fact, now that she reflected on it, the last time she had seen him was at their graduating class party and he had been remote throughout the party, sitting from the others. Anzu had always tried to make friends with him and she was the only one out of their group that had been able to talk to him normally. There had been occasions after their last near-death experience that she had even had Mokuba over at her apartment to stay the night. It seemed so long ago that she and the younger Kaiba would sit up at night, watching cartoons and laughing, getting into pillow fights or playing video games.

"_Do you think that it's appropriate for a thirteen-year-old boy to be staying over like he's five?" Kaiba asked her one day in class. Anzu had been laboring over her math homework, mumbling to herself. She looked up in surprise. Kaiba sat next to her in their Calculus class and was staring down at his book as if he were reading it, as though he had never even spoken. She hesitated, wondering if she imagined him talking. Sighing, he set his book down and turned in his seat, looking to her. "Mokuba isn't a kid anymore and he's not stupid."_

"_I know that," she said, baffled as to where the conversation was going._

"_Mazaki, are you obtuse or something?" His tone was inoffensive, almost as if he were asking her whether she knew the time._

"_Excuse me?" _

"_Mokuba has a crush on you," he told her blatantly without a change in expression, "and the five-year age difference doesn't seem to be much of a problem in his eyes. I've already pointed that out to him, along with your less-than-spectacular intelligence, the type of trash you hang around, etc., but you need to sort it out." He raised an eyebrow. "Unless you're so desperate that you'd date a thirteen-year-old?"_

"_Oh, shut up," she grumbled, turning back to her Calculus work and ignoring him. Abruptly, his hand was over her work and she turned her eyes back up to see him leaning out of his seat over her, an odd expression crossing his usually impassive face._

"_I'm serious, Mazaki. Talk to him." And, just like that, he was sitting back down and reading his book. Anzu stared at him for a moment, but when it was clear he was finished with the conversation, she returned to her homework less focused and more concerned about the younger Kaiba's feelings._

Anzu stirred from the memory, surprised that she had forgotten about that incident. It had been right before they graduated and Mokuba had, of course, been heartbroken and while the sleepovers ended, he still went out of his way to say hello to her whenever she saw him, yet the closeness of the two had seemed to evaporate. It was moments like those that Anzu had felt the difference between herself and her other friends, knowing that on some level, Kaiba respected her. She had never said much about their ambiguous friendship, though, neither to him or her group of friends.

"How is Mokuba?" she spoke up. Kaiba glanced at her.

"He's good, he just started college. Him and Rebecca Hawkins ended up going to the same university and have started some kind of grade rivalry." He paused before adding sarcastically, "It must be love."

Anzu laughed. "That must be it. They always were like that, though. Wow, it sure makes you feel old, though, doesn't it? Five more years and you'll be thirty."

"Congratulations, you can do math."

"You just don't like reminding me about how old you are."

"Have you forgotten your own age, Mazaki?"

"I'm still a year younger, it counts."

"Your logic is starting to sound like that idiot Katsuya's."

Anzu chuckled, but fell silent, smiling to herself. She wouldn't admit it, but she enjoyed the easy banter with Kaiba. She felt exhausted with the sneering remarks of the other dancers she worked with, the false smiles and compliments. They wore her out and she knew there was malice behind them. While at some point she was sure that there were malicious intentions behind Kaiba's words, now they seemed just a part of how he talked, just another part of him, and it didn't bother her anymore. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Even if I said no, you would still ask," he stated plainly.

She smiled at that, saying, "True. I know that Yuugi and Jounouchi are still involved in Duel Monsters – and that you set up an academy for it – but are you even involved in it anymore? Like you used to be, I mean?"

"No," he answered, pausing a beat. "I moved on. There isn't as much money to be made out of it and it's not as interesting as it used to be for me. Yuugi is devoted to it and Jounouchi would follow him regardless of where he went. I, however, have nothing to gain from Duel Monsters anymore. There's no point if I can't be Game King and my company can't profit from it."

"It helps that there's not evil psychos trying to take over the world anymore, too," she added with a smile. "Ever since the Sennen Items were laid to rest, there haven't been any incidents. And ever since Atemu and the Thief King's souls continued on."

"Oh, you can talk about him now? The last time he was brought up, you had an attitude. Like always."

"_Who_ always has an attitude?" she retorted, shooting a look to his smirking face.

"When it comes to Atemu, you."

"_Are you really okay with that?" _

_Anzu looked up from where she was sitting, surprised by the sudden invasion. Kaiba was standing over her, his arms folded and gazing at her with his eyes narrowed. She quickly rubbed her eyes, feeling foolish. Even her friends hadn't seen her cry over the Pharaoh and she certainly didn't want Kaiba to see her. "Okay with that? What are you talking about?"_

"_Don't be so prideful, Mazaki," he sneered. "Everyone knows you were in love with him."_

_She froze. "What?" _

"_Not that I care, but you let him leave without even saying anything. Doesn't leave you with much closure, does it?" Anzu lurched to her feet, her eyes spitting fire, and he raised her hand to slap him, but he had already grabbed her wrist and leaned in, glaring at her. "Don't even." He flung her wrist away with a disgusted stare. "If you can't handle someone telling you the truth, then maybe you need to re-evaluate yourself _and_ your feelings." With that, he turned away, leaving her staring after him feeling lost and unsure._

Anzu pursed her lips, frowning irritably at the memory. It was true that, for a time, she was instantly on the offensive whenever Atemu was mentioned. It wasn't due to anything specific, but Kaiba had a particular knack for making her angry about the Pharaoh and she knew that the majority of the time he was simply being insulting to get a rise out of her. Nonetheless, she had always been the one to jump to the Pharaoh's defense, even though Atemu probably would have calmly told her that it was no worry and that he would simply raise his eyebrows at Kaiba and turn away, unbothered. "It's been over six years since he left," she told him at last. "I had to move on eventually, right?"

"I can imagine how awkward it is telling your boyfriend that you used to be in love with a dead guy," Kaiba commented in his usual, flippant manner.

"For one thing, I keep that out of the conversation. And second, I don't have a boyfriend. And _no,_ before you even make a snide remark, Yuugi is _not_ my boyfriend."

Kaiba smirked down at her. "How well you know me, Mazaki."

"That happens after I have to deal with your annoying comments for four years of my life."

"Let's not get on the subject of annoying, shall we? Being preached to about my lack of morality, sensitivity, and unsociable behavior for four years was enough to make me punch babies."

His words startled a laugh from her and she clapped a hand over her mouth, snickering. "Punch babies?" she spluttered, laughing. "This must be proof that you're a demon like Jounouchi always said."

But Kaiba had nothing to say to that. They walked in companionable silence for some time, Anzu smiling to herself, stepping lightly beside him. He walked with his hands in the pockets of his suit, seemingly unbothered by her demon comment. Peering up at him, Anzu couldn't help but observe that he seemed to have aged well. He had always looked older than a high school student and while there wasn't much of a difference to him, he seemed to fit his age more than he did. If not for his arrogant and snooty behavior, Anzu supposed that she could find him attractive – he was certainly handsome enough. And yet, even for all his flaws, she could tell that he had improved since when they first met him in their freshman year of high school. He seemed more...human. "You've really changed," she voiced aloud.

"So have you," was his immediate response.

She blinked in surprise. "What? Me?" She laughed, waving a hand. "No, no, I'm definitely the same person."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow in question at her and then paused on the path, forcing her to stop as well. "Then why aren't you being the happy-go-lucky, preaching fool that you were in high school? Did you get a taste of reality?"

"It's not reality, Kaiba," Anzu said with a shake of her head. "It's just..." She hesitated and looked up at him, yet he seemed to be waiting for an answer. "When I was younger, I always believed that if you had your friends and family and their love, you can achieve anything, but, I mean...I was completely alone here in New York and yeah, Yuugi and the others supported me from afar, but it wasn't the same. I guess I just realized that those things we had then we won't always have and we just have to find a way to push through without them. And...you know, life isn't that easy."

"I don't count being attacked on a daily basis easy," Kaiba blatantly said with a slight scowl, as though recalling the many times he, himself, had dealt with such conflict.

"No," she agreed, "but we had each other. If we hadn't, it would have been much harder...but now I realize that you can still do it. I always told you that Yuugi was the better man because he had friends and better values than you, that's why he succeeded, but I don't know...maybe he just had it easier because of that and you had to work harder." She laughed, suddenly embarrassed. "I don't even know that I'm saying anymore. It's hard to explain. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I just realize not everything is as easy and beautiful as it used to be. I mean, right now – " She suddenly stopped herself, realizing that she had been about to voice something that she had never said aloud, even to herself.

"Yes?" he asked, frowning. "Right now, what?"

Anzu said nothing for a moment, wondering if she dared to say what she had been feeling for a long time. "Well...," she sighed, "right now I've...been wondering if I did the right thing by pursuing my dream. I got what I wanted, but..." _Do I dare?_ "...but I wonder if it's what I really wanted after all."

Kaiba considered her a moment and then looked away, saying, "I saw your last production."

"Huh?" She stared at him in surprise. "Really?"

"You make good money, you're good at what you do, why would you leave it?"

"I guess...for the same reason you stopped playing Duel Monsters," she said slowly. "Big productions like this aren't interesting to me...and I don't enjoy them. I love to dance, by myself, but there's so much politics in it. I just let my agent deal with it, because I can't. I didn't become a dancer to sell my image to things, to make more and more money. I became a dancer because it's what I loved to do." She glanced at him and smiled slightly. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No," he answered, meeting her gaze steadily. Not for the first time, an odd expression crossed his face briefly, one that she had seen only a handful of times when speaking with him. She still was unable to interpret it. "It sounds exactly like you, Mazaki."

"Oh, how well you know me," she quipped, repeating his words from earlier. He chuckled, his mouth turning up somewhat before he turned away and began walking again. She followed him, clasping the strap of her gym bag as she walked with him. The sun had set and it was getting dark in the park. There were less people walking around and she made sure to keep close to him and from falling behind just in case something _did_ happen. As she walked, she wondered to herself why Kaiba had seen her production, had recognized her, but had never said hello to her. Of course, he wasn't obligated to, so she didn't expect as much. She enjoyed the familiarity, though, as she had very few friends in New York. "I want to go back to Japan," she told him honestly.

"Then go."

"It's not that easy," she sighed. "I have to finish this next production before I can quit. And then, I can't help but wonder if it would be the right choice. I worked for years to get here and finally am making a name for myself. Do I really want to give it up?"

"Mazaki," he sighed in exasperation, "be realistic for once, would you? I know that's hard, hanging around dead people and Jounouchi for most of your life. Just weigh the pros and cons."

Ruffled by his comment slightly, she grumbled, "But they're almost equal. The pros: good money, great experience, living in New York, big productions. Cons: moody people, too much politics, less individuality, and big productions, too."

"Fine, then think of it this way: what do you miss most about Japan? Your friends, right? Since you don't have any here."

"Well...yes. But how did you know that?"

"I'm not stupid," he stated simply.

She laughed. "Of course. Pure intelligence is the answer."

"Were you expecting any other answer?"

"No, I suppose I shouldn't have." Yet she did, in fact, expect more than that. Kaiba knew her well enough to know that she made friends with nearly everyone, having been the class president and eager to talk with people. He should have suspected her to make friends with people in New York rather than to be as antisocial as she had become. However, she dismissed it, unable to come up with a logical conclusion. "When I left Domino, I just assumed I would never go back to Japan and I would just stay in the States. I thought that I'd never get to spend time with Yuugi and the others the way that I used to. It was hard to say goodbye, you know?"

Kaiba looked at her mildly. "Whoever said that it was goodbye?"

"Because it was," she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Really?" he replied in a tone that indicated he disagreed. "Goodbyes are supposed to be forever, aren't they?"

Anzu contemplated him for a long moment before smiling. "Yeah...I guess you're right." When they got to the end of the park, Anzu sighed, shifting her gym bag on her shoulder. It was starting to feel sore from having it there for so long. Outside of the quiet of the park, the city was still loud and bustling with activity. "Well...thank you for walking with me, Kaiba. I appreciate it."

"It's not like I wasn't going the same place as you," he told her in a bored tone.

"Right," she said, rolling her eyes a bit at his attitude. "I'm going to get going. Goodbye – er – see you." After quickly amended her farewell, she turned away, looking forward to getting home, but strangely already missing the CEO's company.

"Mazaki." Anzu turned back and Kaiba tossed something at her. She quickly reached up and caught the object, sending him a quizzical look. "It's a little belated. Goodnight."

"What...?" she mumbled to herself and then turned her gaze to the small box in her hands. Frowning, she spun it around in her hands before popping the top off and seeing a jewelry case. Puzzled, she opened it and stared at the charm bracelet. A smile tugged at her lips and she felt a swoop deep in her stomach, filling her with warmth. There was a ballet shoe, a duel monster card, a pom-pom (she suspected that was a joke from when he used to call her Yuugi's cheerleader), a pyramid, and a little blue dragon. She raised her eyes, but Kaiba had already gone. She turned all around, but he was nowhere near. Biting her lip, she closed the box and put the lid back on. She would put it on later.

Once she got home, she dumped everything on the floor in her apartment and went to her bedroom, taking out the charm bracelet and sitting on her bed, clasping it around her wrist. _What could this possibly have been for? _she thought to herself and then recalled his words. She frowned and then gasped, clapping her hands in realization, recalling that her birthday had been a few weeks ago. She looked down at her wrist again, smiling again to herself, recalling that this was not the first time Kaiba had surprised her with such knowledge.

_As Anzu was preparing to leave the Kaiba mansion after dropping Mokuba off, Kaiba came walking out in his pajamas with a cup of coffee in his hand. His hair was mussed and Anzu felt herself blush a bit at his state of undress, as she usually only saw him in a meticulous state. His expression, however, ruined the image. He looked grumpy, something that Mokuba had assured her before that was completely normal during the morning. "Good morning!" she greeted brightly. "I was just leaving. Mokuba went upstairs to shower."_

"_I know, I saw him," he said in an irritable tone. "Will you come in the kitchen for a minute?"_

"_Uh...sure, I guess." Anzu followed him into the kitchen uncertainly, wondering what he could possibly need to talk to her about. She ran through the list of things that he had stated the first night Mokuba had stayed over and determined that she hadn't broken any of the rules he had laid down for her. The fact that she didn't know what he wanted made her a little nervous. "So...here we are...the kitchen." Kaiba had sat down at the table and was drinking his coffee, a dark expression on his face. _

_"Excellent observation," he coldly said, not even bothering to look at her._

_She waited a few minutes. "Was there something you wanted or did you just want someone to stand here?" she asked at last, beginning to get annoyed herself._

_He shot her a petulant glance and then set his coffee cup down a little harder than necessary before reaching over to one of the chair and picking up a box, holding it out to her. She gave him a blank look. "Would you just take it?" he snapped. She took the box and stared down at it. "Go ahead and open it."_

_Peeking at him warily, she opened the box and her mouth opened to form an 'O' of surprise before she pulled out the box within it. "Ooh, it's a music box." She took the key hanging from it and unlocked it. The music poured from the music box and she stood there a moment, listening to the song before it restarted. She laughed suddenly, beaming. "How cute...the song is 'The Ballerina and the Music Box.' Thank you, Kaiba!"_

"_Mokuba picked it out," he said a bit too quickly. "He said your birthday was next week."_

"_Oh, that's right...I guess it is." She smiled. "Thank you, anyway."_

The memory lingered in her mind, recalling how uncomfortable he had seemed that morning when she thanked him. As she picked up the jewelry box, she suddenly noticed a small card that was stuck on the top. She slipped a nail beneath it and it fell out. She took it and read it.

_Go back to Domino and be happy. –SK_

Thoughtful, Anzu gazed at the card. He had obviously written it before talking to her that day, so what could the message have had? She recalled his comments earlier that day about seeing her production and the remark about her having no friends and wondered just how transparent she had been when he _had_ seen her. But then, her relationship with Kaiba had always been that way. She could sense whenever he was off and he could do the same with her. They had known each for such a long time by then that it was not a surprising development.

Shaking her head, she smiled faintly, fingering the card. "Kaiba, you're the strangest man," she murmured to herself and tapped her lips with the card. Her smile increased a bit and she looked down at the bracelet again, brushing her fingers over it. "Maybe that's why I always want to get closer to you..."

X

Kaiba loosened his tie as he settled at the table in his hotel room, stretching his legs out and sighing. He hadn't bothered turning on any lights and when he had opened the curtains, the city lights were sufficient enough light. He sat there staring out the window for a long time, absorbed in his thoughts. He had been playing this game for years and when he got old enough, Mokuba was perceptive enough to see it and had berated him for it, especially recently. It was a bad habit, though, and as they say, bad habits do die hard. He had kept his distance from people for so long that it had been more than annoying when Anzu had tried to poke her way through his barriers, except she did. He had been forced to associate with her through Yuugi and then it seemed impossible to rid himself of their group, much less her. Anzu was always ready to reach out a friendly hand and he had never wanted to take it or so much as brush against it.

Yet, she had forced her hand in his and he had been dragged through jagged rocks to where he was in his life now. Additionally, her friendship with Mokuba got her more involved in his life than he had liked. He knew long ago that he was interested in her, but he had also known of her love for Atemu and Mokuba's crush on her, so he had given it no more thought and let it develop on its own, with no help from him. Any normal man would have confessed at their graduation ceremony, but then, Kaiba was not normal and confessing was against his prideful nature, so he let that chance pass by and watched from afar, listened at the academy when Yuugi and Jounouchi spoke about her. And, when she was out of college, he followed her progression and even though she didn't know it, he went to every production of hers. He saw her deteriorate before his very eyes. The bubbly, clever, cheerful personality that had charmed him seemed to withdraw and she seemed more wary of people, less inclined to offer her hand anymore. She had tasted the sting of the brutality of the world and it didn't suit her well. He only hoped that she would go back to Domino or Japan to work on smaller productions or even teaching dance to save herself. He couldn't save her from what was happening to her, it was a process that everyone went through at some point in their lives.

Kaiba could never involve himself more than he had. It was a point that Mokuba continuously argued with him, only because he wanted to see his older brother happy. If it had been another girl, then maybe Kaiba would have relented and let her get closer, but there was a long history between them. She had been in love with his rival, not to mention that she was Yuugi's love interest. She had raged at him for years about his cold attitude and even after not seeing each other for years, they fell into their routine of teasing banter. He wondered if she had ever realized that it was flirting, like Mokuba had when witnessing it in his teens. At the same time, however, Kaiba firmly did not want to know at all how she felt about him or how she viewed him. He was content with the situation as it was. He wasn't like other men who yearned for more. He had spent nearly eight years of his life pining after one girl and while it initially had enraged him, now it seemed natural.

He had, however, broken part of his silent vow to himself. He had promised to stay as he always had been for the past few years, yet he had given in and bought her something. He had intended to just send it anonymously, thinking to put the card in, hoping it would be too long for her to even connect him to the initials. But when he had seen her in the park on his way to take the box to the post office, he had given into temptation to engage her in conversation. He might have muddled his own situation, but as usual, he wasn't too worried about it, prepared to deal with whatever curveball she might throw at him. She was, after all, always full of surprises. It was one of her many endearing qualities.

_It was worth it,_ he decided, recalling the play of emotions on her face while talking to her. He didn't regret his actions and was glad for that one conversation out of the six years he hadn't spoken to her while she was in New York. It was refreshing, as if he were breathing in new, fresh air.

Kaiba shifted in his seat, rousing from his thoughts. He glanced to the side and a corner of his mouth tilted up. He took the glass of wine that was sitting next to him on the table, gently churning the liquid in it before raising the glass towards the window. "Happy late birthday...," he murmured softly, "...Anzu."

_Fin_

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DIS: Well, I'm not sure how I feel about this piece. I wrote in in the wee hours of the morning, finally finishing it around 5:30 AM. Technically, with how this ended, it leaves it open for a sequel. Which is kind of what I wanted to do, in case I got the motivation to do that. In any case, please review and let me know how you liked it, whether you thought they were kept in character, if it was written well, etc. Cheers!


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